From Russia With Love
by Lexie Jayne
Summary: When the Planeteers go on a short holiday home, Linka stumbles across a scheme in her home town, and must rethink her feelings for Wheeler (L/W) (Complete.)
1. Chapter One

AN: I hope you enjoy this. I rediscovered Captain Planet like 3 days ago, and am horrified to see such a lack of fan fic. So I thought I'd add to it. I have only seen 2 episodes in the last five years - Beast of the Temple and Plunder Dam - so some details may be vaguely inaccurate. I hope you enjoy this first chapter, and I will update soon. Please review and let me know how I am going with this.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Linka watched the Geo-Cruiser take off. Ma-Ti, Gi, Kwame and Wheeler all waved to her as they left Russia.  
  
Because it had been so quiet for so long, Gaia had let all the Planeteers take a short holiday with their families. Well, Gaia had said, a short summer holiday. But, just Linka's luck, it was the coldest winter her home town had faced in twenty-five years.  
  
But it was home. Not as glamorous as most places, but it was familiar and she had memories. And she would be here for two whole weeks.  
  
Picking up her bag, Linka wondered if she might need to talk the others into stopping in Los Angeles one day soon so she could buy some more winter clothes. Most of the clothes she had were summer ones, because on Hope Island she didn't need jeans or heavy sweatshirts. She was sure Gi would be up for a shopping spree. Linka wasn't to sure about the others, but boys would be boys.  
  
It was already dark here, and snow crunched under her sneakers. Linka spied her house, the lights were on in the kitchen, which was surprising. Mishka must be home already.  
  
Like most of the town's population, Linka's brother Mishka worked in the local mines and didn't get home till very late at night usually. At least, that was what Linka remembered.  
  
She knocked gently on the door, hoping she wouldn't startle her grandmother, who had been very sick.  
  
"Who is it?" came Mishka's voice.  
  
"It is Linka," Linka called out, grinning as her older brother swung open the door. Mishka flung his arms around Linka.  
  
"It has been a very long time since you visited, Linka. You should have written and told us," Mishka said, leading Linka into the house. Linka dropped her bag outside the kitchen and went and sat down.  
  
"Da, I should have but I did not know I was coming until the last minute," Linka said. "Where is Nonna?"  
  
"She is sleeping; she has been very sick since the beginning of Winter, and the pain medication makes her very tired," Mishka said. "I am making dinner, would you like some?"  
  
"Nyet, Wheeler and Ma-ti insisted we stop and get pizza in St Petersburg. Gi and Kwame were not happy with that plan," Linka sighed. Gi and Kwame had been shocked and disgusted at the over population of St Petersburg - and the huge percentage of homeless people. Linka had not bothered to explain to them that there was very little anyone could do.  
  
"St Petersburg? I have not been there since you were a baby," Mishka shook his head. "And you stop there to get 'pizza'."  
  
"Da, call it a privilege of being a Planeteer," Linka said.  
  
"Nonna does worry about you; says it is not good from you to be gallivanting all over the world, get yourself killed or put in jail. Papa would not be pleased."  
  
"Da, but Nonna is proud of me. And Papa would be happy if he knew what we were doing. If I stayed here, I'd end up nothing," Linka sighed.  
  
"Maybe. Tatiana and Nikolai still ask after you. We all agree you don't write often enough, and do not tell us half of what you should," Mishka said, sitting down with a cup of coffee.  
  
"I do not get a lot of time to write letters. And what else should I say?" Linka said, seeing on of her latest letters taped to the fridge, the whole page dotted with the Russian and English alphabets.  
  
"I do not know. You write about people we do not know and do not explain anything. It worries Nonna, and she gets sicker when she worries."  
  
"Da, I know. But I cannot help it. I am not going to quit being a Planeteer because I am not a good letter writer, though, Mishka," Linka shrugged.  
  
"And Nonna and I do not want you to quit. Because you are doing good and you are happy. But other people would like you to," Mishka said, sipping his coffee.  
  
"Who?" Linka asked, looking confused.  
  
"Nikolai. You went and left him without a word, and now you are off with that American boy. He is very jealous."  
  
"That is his problem, Mishka. I have never liked Nikolai," Linka said, shaking her head.  
  
"Tatiana wants you to come home and go back to school with her; she is very lonely and school is not the same as it was when you were there," Mishka added.  
  
Linka remembered her friend Tatiana. She had long black hair and had big eyes and loved to flirt. She was always smothering her face in make up she bought from Moscow. Linka's life of school and music seemed very far away now, after her life as a Planeteer.  
  
"I miss her. Maybe I could go to the school tomorrow and say hello," Linka mused.  
  
"Nyet. Tatiana has quit school now - she was not enjoying it anymore. She, Nikolai and I got new jobs," Mishka's face lit up.  
  
"Really? Where?" Linka could not think where else, other than the mines, anyone could get work.  
  
"A new printing factory. The boss says it will make the town very rich and we won't have to be miners forever. We're already organized to start a local magazine," Mishka said. "We all work binding up huge amounts of paper to send around Russia, but Tatiana wants to become fashion editor of the new magazine."  
  
"This is good, but what about recycling?" Linka asked. "For the newspapers and magazine, so we do not cut down too many trees."  
  
"It is only a new factory, Linka. We have not finished with things like that yet," Mishka said. "But I will suggest it tomorrow. Or you could go and suggest it yourself tomorrow." "Da, I think I will come with you tomorrow and see the boss myself," Linka nodded.  
  
"Linka, you are home." A third voice said. Linka turned around to see her grandmother, Nadia Pquetrakova, standing in the doorway. She was a tall-ish woman with black hair streaked heavily with grey that was in a long plait.  
  
"Da, Nonna, I am. For a little holiday," Linka jumped up and gave her grandmother a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"I worried about you, child. Gone for so long, and so few letters," Nadia eyes her grand daughter.  
  
"I do not like writing letters, Nonna," Linka shrugged. "I am not good at it."  
  
"We know, Linka. Half Russian, half English and Mishka swore black and blue he saw some French in one," Nadia chuckled. "I think spending so much time in America has made you forget how to write in plain English. It takes me an hour to translate your funny letters." Linka winced - her letters were usually only a page long, and that was a long time to read.  
  
"I am just making dinner, Nonna," Mishka said. "Soup. Would you like some? Linka will not have any because she had dinner in St Petersburg."  
  
"Nyet, Mishka, I am not hungry. I will go back to bed soon. I overheard you telling Linka about the new printing factory," Nadia sat down.  
  
"Da, he did. Why is this business man so interested in this town?" Linka asked.  
  
"I do not know. But when he bought the mines, he realised we needed jobs, so he built the factory. It is good for this town, Linka," Nadia said. "We shall soon publish magazines and newspapers all around the world."  
  
"But what about recycling here?" Linka asked. "We need a recycling plant here, to deal with the excessive refuge."  
  
"Da, maybe one day the boss will do that, Linka, but not yet," Mishka said.  
  
"I am going to go to bed," Linka stood up. "Do not forget to wake me tomorrow so I can come with you, Mishka."  
  
"Da, Linka. Good night."  
  
"Good night."  
  
Linka picked up her bag and went to her room, which looked like she'd never left. All her dolls were clustered on her shelf, her desk was cluttered with sheet music and CDs. Her electric keyboard was set up in one corner, and her computer was covered with a sheet, on her desk. Linka dropped her bag next to her bed, vowing to clean up later, and flopped onto her bed. An d landed on something sharp.  
  
Her Planeteer Communicator in her pocket. A device Gaia had given them before they had left. It was like a digital organizer, except it could send instant video or text messages to any one of the other Planeteers. It was meant for emergencies, but that hadn't stopped Ma-ti and Wheeler sending messages to each other from one side of the Geo Cruiser to the other.  
  
Luckily, the Communicator did not run on batteries, but on light - natural or electric.  
  
As Linka looked at hers (she had a sudden urge to pull the whole device apart to see how it worked), a new message came up on the small screen. From Wheeler, no doubt. Hitting the 'Enter' key, Linka read the message and began to laugh. He'd sent her a whole page of corny pick up lines. Gi must've shown him how to surf the internet.  
  
Wheeler was very cute, and Linka half wished he'd had stayed in Russia with her, or she had gone to New York. It would have been more fun that way. But suggesting it would have lead to more teasing than she would even want to think about.  
  
Rolling over, Linka looked at the photos on her nightstand - one of her parents, one of her brother and grandmother, and one of all the Planeteers together on Kwame's birthday. And one of Linka and Tatiana.  
  
Gi had said, 'Home was where you heart is,' but it wasn't the same coming home once a year or less. It made Linka feel like a stranger in her own home. She was told of drastic changes and it was too late for her opinion to count.  
  
It didn't feel like home anymore - Linka was not a fond of the cold as she used to be. She missed Hope Island, with its beaches and rainforest. And her friends - staying in Russia would mean she wouldn't see them unless there was an environmental disaster near by, and then they'd expect Linka to take care of it. If Linka left the Planeteers, she would lose them as friends. If Linka stayed in Russia, she'd try to change everything too much.  
  
No matter how often she came home, she always faced the stay or go dilemma. She wondered if the other Planeteers ever had this problem.  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~* AN: How is that for my first chapter of my first Planeteer fic? Please review! 


	2. Chapter Two

AN: Chapter Two. Yayness! I'm still working out how the L/W situation will be worked out, but rest assure it will. I'm really enjoying writing it. And any criticism is good.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Instead of the faint stream of sunlight Linka was hoping for, she was woken up by voices talking reasonably loudly in Russian and English. Rubbing her eyes, Linka slipped out of bed and walked into the kitchen to tell Mishka to keep it down or greet (what sounded like) a whole group of people.  
  
Instead, she found Tatiana, Mishka, Nonna and Nikolai sitting around the table eating breakfast. They all turned around when they heard her come in (the house was more of a cottage, with narrow hallways, thin walls and small rooms).  
  
"Linka!" Tatiana jumped up, hugging her school-friend. Linka hugged her back. "I can not believe you did not write and tell me you were coming for a visit. I could have gotten some time off work!"  
  
"Linka," Nikolai smiled from where he sat. He was tall, with brown hair and dark eyes. His family had been a friend of her father's before he had passed away. "It is good to see you home. Nadia says your English is very good now."  
  
"Da, I have been to many English speaking countries," Linka said, pushing her hair out of her eyes, a bit bewildered from sleep.  
  
"Since when have you listened to Nirvana music?" Tatiana sat back down.  
  
Linka gave her a confused look. "What?"  
  
"Your shirt. It is a Nirvana concert t-shirt. I saw them on the Internet," Tatiana clarified. Linka looked down. And felt herself blush.  
  
"Oh, it is not mine," Linka said. "I borrowed it."  
  
"Well," Nikolai. "I have never met a girl who listens to Nirvana - at least, not in this town. You will have to introduce me one day, Linka. Music taste in this town is very conservative."  
  
And they all laughed. "Nyet, it is not a Gi's, it is Wheeler's," Linka said. Wheeler's worn out Nirvana t-shirt and a pair of blue pyjama pants were Linka's night-time attire - and socks usually, but Suchi had chewed those up. Actually, if Linka's memory was correct, the whole reason she had borrowed the Nirvana t- shirt in the first place was because Suchi destroyed all her pyjama tops. Or, maybe that had been Wheeler when he first got his ring.  
  
"Wheeler?" Nadia said sharply.  
  
"You are on t-shirt borrowing terms with a boy, Linka?" Tatiana almost squealed.  
  
"Nyet, Tatiana," Linka went to the fridge to find something to eat. "Wheeler gave it to me." Wrong choice of words, Linka.  
  
"Gave it to you?" Tatiana almost passed out.  
  
"Why would any girl want a worn out t-shirt?" Mishka asked around a mouthful of cereal.  
  
"It is symbolic, Mishka," Tatiana said.  
  
"I do not like the sound of this, Linka," Nadia said. "Why would this boy give you his t-shirt?"  
  
"I can think of several, ah, 'scenarios'," Nikolai said darkly.  
  
"Bozhe moy," Linka exclaimed. "You are all insane."  
  
"Come on, Linka. You need to get dressed," Tatiana said, jumping up and escorting Linka to her bedroom. "Did you bring your American clothes?"  
  
"Nyet, they are all for summer. I think I will have to convince Gi we need to go shopping in Hollywood," Linka said teasingly.  
  
"Really?" Tatiana nearly screeched. "I have never made it past Moscow, and you are shopping in Hollywood!"  
  
"Nyet, I have never been to Hollywood - at least, not yet," Linka unzipped her bag and began to unpack it. A camera, some photos, random clothes and such.  
  
"Photos!" Tatiana pounced. "Where are these from?"  
  
"Kwame's birthday. We went to a boardwalk in Santa Monica, where there was a fair and then we went back to Hope Island and partied," Linka said. There had been loud music Gaia had been complaining about, piles of junk food courtesy of Gi and Wheeler, volleyball game, wind surfing.all at night. Linka really didn't remember how it ended, but she woke up curled up next to Wheeler, the others sprawled out nearby on another towel. Contrary to what she expected, none of the other Planeteers had mentioned it in her presence - and Linka was sure Wheeler would have teased her about it.  
  
But Tatiana did not need to know the sketchy details. "Is this Whee-ler?" Tatiana held up a photo of Ma-ti and Gi, pointing to Ma- ti.  
  
"Nyet! That's Ma-ti. Wheeler has red hair," Linka said and went to the bathroom to get changed. When she came back, Tatiana had taken the photographs out to the kitchen to show the others.  
  
"You look like you are having fun," Mishka said, gazing at a photo where Linka and Wheeler and Gi were windsurfing.  
  
"Da. It was a fun night. A proper party. Gaia said she had never heard such a racket."  
  
Nadia looked over the photos all over the table. Photos of Linka and her four friends at a party. Linka windsurfing, and completely wiping out in the surf. And one with the five of them on the beach. Nadia saw Nikolai's face, jealousy flitting over his blank expression  
  
. "You all look like very good friends," Mishka said. "That is Gi, nyet?"  
  
"Da. She is from Asia and is trained in marine biology," Linka nibbled on a piece of toast.  
  
"You four better head to work or you will be late," Nadia straightened up. "You do not want to be fired."  
  
"We will see you later, Nonna," Mishka said. The four of them walked towards the old mine site. Apparently, according to Mishka, the new printing factory was next to the mines. And as they walked down the hill, Linka saw the factory. It was huge, built at the edge of a pine forest. Linka could only begin to imagine how many trees they had to pull down to build that factory.  
  
Mishka, Tatiana and Nikolai went and put in their time cards. "We will see you at lunchtime. Linka and I will go and see the boss," Mishka said to Tatiana and Nikolai.  
  
"Okay," Nikolai said.  
  
Mishka lead Linka through a maze of hallways and up several staircases to an unlabeled door.  
  
"Go in and ask to see Mr Plunder. After you finish talking to him, ask Mary - the secretary - where I am."  
  
"Da, okay," Linka said, her attention focused on 'Mr Plunder'? Would this man's name be an ugly coincidence or was Looten Plunder up to one of his no good schemes?  
  
Mishka walked away, and Linka went into the office, sticking her hands into her coat pockets - her Planeteer Communicator was in there, luckily.  
  
"Hello. I am Linka Pquetrakova, I am here to see Mr Plunder."  
  
"Da, your brother works here. Please take a seat and Mr Plunder will see you in a moment."  
  
Linka took a seat in one of the hard plastic chairs. She gazed at her ring steadily, almost reassuring herself it was there.  
  
"Miss Pquetrakova? Mr Plunder will see you now." Linka walked into the internal office and nearly used her ring on the person inside by force of habit.  
  
"Looten Plunder!"  
  
"M'dear. Fancy seeing you here. What can I do for you?" Looten plunder flashed her his fake 'winning' smile  
  
"What is your plan this time, Plunder?" Linka said, infuriated.  
  
"I have nothing 'planned'. I am merely giving the townspeople work when I bought the mines."  
  
"You are not going to scam my people, Plunder. You will not get away with this!" Linka shouted, balling her fists, ready to use her power and teach Plunder a lesson.  
  
"Well, I don't see how I can't. The rest of the Planet-Pests aren't here. The townspeople are happy. And if you use your ring on me, I will make sure your brother.Mishka Pquetrakova.is fired."  
  
"Da, Plunder. You will not get away with this. I will find out what you are up to!" Linka said, storming out of the office.  
  
As she left, Plunder picked up the phone. "I want the Planeteer disposed of, yes, the mines, any means necessary." 


	3. Chapter Three

AN: I am having heaps of fun writing this and love the reviews I got. I hope you're enjoying this. Dedicated to Jen for joining in my 'Planeteer-y- ness' with me, for a moment.  
  
Disclaimer: Ted Turner owns the Planeteers, Captain Planet, Gaia and the villains. I own Nadia, Nikolai and Tatiana.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Linka didn't want to hang around the factory after that and decided to see what Plunder was up to. After all, it had to be something that would leave everyone in debt and the land ruined.  
  
Linka decided to walk to the mines and try and find out exactly what Plunder wanted them for.  
  
But Linka was virtually lost in the factory, the maze of stairwells and hallways. She ended up in an abandoned office. Turning around, she came face to face with Bleak.  
  
"End of the line, Pesk-a-teer," Bleak grinned meanly.  
  
"Wind!" Linka shouted and a gust of wind blasted at Bleak and slammed the door shut. Linka jumped over Bleak's fallen form and tried to open the door. But when it had slammed, the deadlock had latched.  
  
Bleak pulled Linka down by her ankle and with single blow, knocked her out.  
  
"Teach you to meddle, Eco-Brat."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Linka groaned, her head was aching. What had happened?  
  
She opened her eyes and jumped in fright. She was tied to a chair and gagged in the office, and the door was shut, probably locked.  
  
Linka leant back, completely and utterly stuck. What could she do? Unlikely Ma-ti would sense her from South America.  
  
There was green-tinged gas coming through the air vent. As that thought sunk in, Linka jumped in a vague sense of panic. As she jumped, the ropes around her wrist caught on a loose nail and ripped off.  
  
Rubbing her wrists, Linka aimed her ring in the direction of the air vent. "Wind!"  
  
The gas disappeared back up the air vent, but Linka knew that it would be mere moments before it started again. Plunder was doing on of two things - he was either gassing her to death or it was sleeping gas to put her asleep again. Ripping off her gag, Linka had an idea.  
  
Fumbling for her Planeteer Communicator, Linka flipped it open and started to record a live message.  
  
"Planeteer Alert! Looten Plunder is here, in my home town and he has me prisoner. He is trying to gas me as I speak. I need help to close his scheme down!" Linka cried out, noticing more green gas floating out of the air vent.  
  
No body got the message. There was nothing else Linka could do but wait till someone did receive the message and send a reply. Maybe it would be better if she let things 'go with the flow' and see where she ended up.  
  
Knotting the gag back around her mouth, Linka was slumped, unconscious in the chair.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Wheeler was exhausted. He'd been clubbing with a few old school friends, which hadn't exactly been Wheeler's definition fun. Beach parties were cooler, in his definition but this was Brooklyn.  
  
He turned down his mom's offers of food and flopped on his bed, trying to sleep. But the heat was unbearable, and Wheeler's family didn't have an air- conditioner.  
  
So, sleeping.  
  
But, there was some annoying beeping noise keeping Wheeler awake. Rolling off his bed, Wheeler looked around for the object making the beeping.  
  
Not his computer, it hadn't been turned on since Wheeler was thirteen. His clock radio was broken, his walkman had no batteries and . his Planeteer Communicator. That had to be it.  
  
Wheeler found the jeans he had been wearing and pulled the Communicator out. Flipping it open, Wheeler rolled his eyes to find 4 new messages. One from each of his friends.  
  
From Kwame, Gi and Ma-ti, all 'hope everything is okay,' messages. Wheeler looked forward to Linka's message. She hadn't said anything to him about 'them' since the night on the beach, and Wheeler was hoping if he didn't mention it, Linka would want to talk and stuff. And they hadn't had a moment alone since. Wheeler had half wanted Linka to come to Brooklyn with him, except his neighbourhood was so dump-like and he knew Linka would never miss out on a chance to see her grandmother and brother.  
  
"Planeteer Alert! Looten Plunder is here, in my home town and he has me prisoner. He is trying to gas me as I speak. I need help to close his scheme down!"  
  
Wheeler sat in shock for a moment. Linka was in trouble and needed Planeteer help. He didn't spring into action for a moment - he blamed it on sleep deprivation over the last eighteen hours.  
  
Within thirty seconds, Wheeler had recorded a new message for Gi, Kwame and Ma-ti, to live video message him back. Luckily, Gi and Kwame replied instantly.  
  
"Yes, I just got Linka's message, Wheeler. We need to go to Russia now," Kwame said.  
  
"I've tried to get in touch with Ma-ti and Linka, but neither of them are answering," Gi sighed.  
  
"Linka has to be okay," Wheeler muttered.  
  
"She will be okay, Wheeler. I will leave now, and pick Gi up in the Geo- Cruiser. Then I will pick up you, and then Ma-ti. Gi and Wheeler, you should both keep messaging Ma-ti and Linka until they reply. And Wheeler, keep in touch with Gi."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"See you soon."  
  
Wheeler started a new message for Linka, but all of the ones he wrote seemed superficial and corny. 'Wow,' he thought, 'I must really like Linka if none of my messages are any good.' Some of them were good, just not for Linka.  
  
Luckily, Ma-ti was reached by Gi, and messaged Wheeler to tell him. Now, it was the Waiting Game.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~* Linka blinked. Where was she? Her eyes felt like they were full of grit and sand. And her wrists felt positively bruised and her hands were fuzzy, like the circulation was being cut off.  
  
Right. She was in a cave-like room. With a cold sense of dread, Linka realised she recognized the cave-room; from when her grandfather brought her down the mines. This was once used as a storage room, but the roof and floor was no longer stable.  
  
A lantern glowed by the door, a heavy black steel thing. Linka was tied to a wooden support beam, her ankles and knees tied together, her waist tied to the beam, her wrists tied behind her and a gag around her mouth.  
  
But what shook Linka the most was how much heavy machinery was in the cave- room. Now, the floor were only made up of some mostly-rotten wooden planks nailed haphazardly down. In fact, there was there was gaps between each board, almost two inches wide. And Linka could see the wooden planks bending underneath the weight of the machinery.  
  
Linka's eyes widened as she saw a rat scuttle past. Linka loved animals; Planeteers had to as a rule. But rats reminded her of Verminous Skumm and Verminous Skumm reminded her of being hooked on Bliss.  
  
There was absolutely nothing Linka could do. Her Communicator was in her pocket, but her hands were literally tied. Actually, the only thing she could do was to try and loosen her wrist ropes - not only to try and get out, but so her circulation wasn't cut off all together.  
  
And, Linka could almost here the floor bending.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"So, do we know anything?" Wheeler said, co-piloting the Geo-Cruiser. He had filled in his time by catching up on sleep. Linka's life hung in the balance, and any stupid screw ups could kill her.  
  
"I found one small article mentioning 'Looten Plunder'," Gi said, laptop balanced in front of her. "But it's in Russian, and none of the Russian translators I have are accurate enough. I can't read any of it."  
  
"Has anybody heard from Linka?" Ma-ti asked. "Maybe she got one of our messages."  
  
"No, I checked just a minute ago," Gi said.  
  
"We will be there on time. Ma-ti, use your power to see if you can hear her thoughts," Kwame, who was pilot, suggested.  
  
"Okay. Heart." Ma-ti closed his eyes, while he focused on Linka's thoughts. They were very faint. "She is frightened and angry.and the only image I can see is of a rat," Ma-ti frowned. "It did not look like she was being held in a building. There was lots of dirt on the floor, and huge gappy planks of wood."  
  
"A cave?" Kwame suggested.  
  
"Not in Linka's town," Gi said.  
  
"A mine?" Kwame said.  
  
"Definitely," Wheeler injected. "Okay, there's the landing strip."  
  
The Geo-Cruiser set down.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Looten Plunder looked over the crowd of townspeople. Excellent.  
  
"Hello, everyone," he said, smiling. "I am Mr Plunder, the owner of your mines, and the new printing factory." As he stopped to take a breath, he realised that half the towns people couldn't understand English.  
  
That was tough luck.  
  
"I have decided to use the mines as a disposable unit," Looten declared. "I am currently having it filled with this town's waste, and then we will add explosives. Not only will we blow up the garbage, turning it into nothing, but we will have a pit for waste products - and this will save me a lot of money."  
  
The townspeople cheered at the mention of money, probably being the only English word some of them knew.  
  
Looten smiled as his workers continued filling the mine. He'd be getting rid of more than garbage; he was getting rid of an Eco-Brat and Captain Planet.  
  
Because no one would be able to find the girl's ring once the explosives ripped through the mines.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
AN: Dun dun dun.*g* I hope you're enjoying this. More tomorrow/soon. Please review and some constructive criticism would be held close to my heart. 


	4. Chapter Four

Rool on Chapter Four - thank you for all the reviews, and definitely more people should write some more Captain Planet fan fic. Doesn't matter if you've never written anything before, just write Captain Planet fan fic and make it a respected fandom!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~* The four Planeteers ran towards the mines; it was the only lead they had, and it also seemed logical - the perfect place for Looten Plunder to imprison Linka.  
  
"Hey!" Some one called out and began to jog towards the Planeteers.  
  
"Yes?" Kwame asked.  
  
"Are you Linka Pquetrakova's friends?" asked the dark haired girl.  
  
"Yes, we are. Do you know where she is?" Wheeler asked, concern in his eyes.  
  
The girl smiled, her red-toned lips twisted in an almost-smirk. "Da, she is fine. Off with Nikolai. The two are inseparable when Linka is home."  
  
Gi and Ma-ti looked at Wheeler with unmasked pity.  
  
"I am Tatiana, Linka's friend. Wheeler, Linka has mentioned you. Come with me to Linka's grandmother's house and you can see her." Tatiana flipped her hair. Linka had been missing all day. But this was a hot guy - Linka would turn up somewhere soon.  
  
"No, we really need to go and see the mine demonstration," Kwame said firmly, seeing right through Tatiana's act.  
  
Without another word, Kwame lead the rest of the Planeteers towards the mine. Ma-ti, Gi and Wheeler turned questioningly to Kwame.  
  
"She was lying about Linka; she is not a friend," Kwame said confidently.  
  
None of the others had a chance to reply. They saw the demonstration. Looten Plunder stood on a makeshift stage, smiling.  
  
The mine was crammed full of huge drums and garbage. . . And explosives. There was a huge steel door that would close over the entrance to the mine. . .  
  
"Stop!" Ma-ti yelled.  
  
People went silent as the Planeteers shoved their way through the crowd to get to the stage.  
  
Nadia spied the Planeteers, recognizing their similar clothing to Linka's and from their photographs. Then Nadia felt cold all over. Where was Linka? It was obvious to Nadia that the American boy was more than friends with her grand-daughter, and if they both felt the same way (which Nadia, after seeing Wheeler, was positive of), they should be somewhere secluded, doing what young people did, rather than having her grand-daughter missing and her prospective boyfriend interrupting Mr Plunder's assembly.  
  
"What did you do to the mines?" Gi yelled.  
  
"I purchased them," Looten said. "Is that a problem?"  
  
"It is if you intend to turn the mines into a waste pit," Ma-ti retorted.  
  
"Where's Linka?" was all Wheeler said.  
  
Then the old lady in the front row caught his eye. She had heard his last statement and looked almost panicked. She had grey hair in a tight bun, and wore a long dress. Her eyes were completely black from where Wheeler stood and she almost creeped him out with her distress.  
  
"Linka? Oh, the other Eco-Brat," Looten Plunder nodded. "I haven't see her."  
  
"Liar," Wheeler stated flatly.  
  
"I've made sure she'll never make trouble for me again."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Linka was tired. She was bitterly freezing, she was on edge and she was scared. She'd been tired up in there for hours, and she'd only loosened her wrist ropes enough so that she could feel them. Now her legs had fallen asleep. And the lantern was almost burnt out. And snow was falling on her head and, now she was wet.  
  
Leaning backwards, Linka closed her eyes. She felt totally drained, and her Communicator hadn't registered any new messages, probably wasn't even on because of the lack of any light.  
  
And there was a horrible cracking noise. Linka jumped with horror and fright. The far left corner had shattered, and a huge coal cart had fallen through the floor, and everything was tilting towards the hole.  
  
*C'mon, Wheeler,* Linka squeezed her eyes shut. *I really need help.*  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Leave Mr Plunder alone!" yelled someone in the crowd. "He is doing us a favour!"  
  
"He isn't! He will dump toxic chemicals in the pit and it will effect the land! Soon, you will all get sick and die from the fumes. It will seep into the earth and your gardens!" Kwame yelled.  
  
'He will make this town rich!" cried another voice.  
  
"Is that all you care about?" Gi shouted. "Money? Being rich?"  
  
"Why does the land matter if we are rich?" came a voice. "If we have money we will not need the land."  
  
The Planeteers glanced at each other. "We need to find Linka, she can convince them," Ma-ti said.  
  
"We've finished loading the mine, sir," Bleak called. "We're shutting the door."  
  
"Ma-ti, use your ring and try and find Linka," Wheeler urged.  
  
"Heart." Ma-ti's eyes closed and he tuned into Linka's thoughts. "Yes, she is here. In the mines."  
  
They watched as Bleak and several more of Plunder's men managed to shut the huge steel door. Then Ma-ti focused on Tatiana. Pushing Kwame's previous comments about Tatiana's lies about Linka, he jumped off the stage and ran towards her.  
  
"Tatiana!" Ma-ti called. She turned around. "Linka is trapped in the mine. She's going to be blown up!"  
  
Tatiana stared at Ma-ti for a moment and turned to walk away.  
  
The other three caught up with Ma-ti. "What did she say?" Wheeler asked.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
Suddenly, something gripped Wheeler's arm. The old lady with the grey hair and dark eyes.  
  
"My grand-daughter," she said, fear in her eyes.  
  
Mishka saw his grandmother badgering some random people and went to calm her down. "Nonna, Linka will be fine."  
  
"Linka?" Gi asked. "Do you know where she is?"  
  
"Nyet. You are her friends? Nikolai and Tatiana say she is fine but she is not; I know it," Nadia babbled.  
  
The Planeteers exchanged looks. "Try and communicate with Linka, we need to call Captain Planet!"  
  
"Heart!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Linka was vaguely panicked. She was alone in a mine, the floor was crumbling and.she was wet. Stupid snow.  
  
/Linka/, Linka froze, hearing Ma-ti's voice. /We need to call Captain Planet. Can you?/  
  
Linka sat up fast, to look around for an opening to the sky or something. One of the ropes caught on a loose nail and it broke away a little. And some more snow fell.  
  
Linka looked up.  
  
/Da, I can./  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ma-ti's eyes opened and he nodded at Kwame.  
  
"Then let our powers combine. Earth!"  
  
"Fire!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Linka pulled her arm away and aimed her ring to the small gap in the roof. "Wind!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Gi saw Linka's power meet the other two. "Water!"  
  
"Heart!"  
  
"By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!" The green haired superhero flew in the air.  
  
"Go Planet!"  
  
In a split second, Captain Planet had evaluated the situation. He saw Bleak fumble for the matches to light the explosives.  
  
Flying towards the mound above the mine and plunged into the thin layer of earth, and into the cave-like room Linka was trapped in.  
  
"You looked tied up, Linka," Captain Planet joked, grabbing her and successfully pulling her free of the restraints. Flying outside the mine via the roof, Captain Planet and Linka were only just clear of the mound when the explosives detonated.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
AN: Oooh, suspense (more what Linka and Wheeler will say to each other, than anything else.) Hope your loving this, and the next chapter will be the last I think (depending on how the next chapter goes, there might possibly be a sixth.) 


	5. Chapter Five

AN: Last chapter - epilogue will be posted tomorrow!  
|*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The Planeteers began running towards the mine as soon as the smoke cleared. Luckily, most of the civilians had been clear of the explosion. But Linka and Captain Planet had vanished from view…  
  
The mines, as far as the townspeople could tell, were a wreck. The roof had caved in and all it was now, was a smoky pit in the ground. Everyone was in shock, staring at the broken shell of the mines.   
  
The four Planeteers gazed around at the wreck and ruin of the mines, trying to find Captain Planet or Linka.  
  
They found Captain Planet and gasped.  
  
He was pinned underneath a huge metal barrel, with toxic waste trickling out of it in a steady steam. Captain Planet was not in good shape.  
  
"The toxic waste has drained my energy. I need to return to the Earth to recover. The Power is yours," Captain Planet said in a dull, flat voice and vanished.  
  
The Planeteers exchanged looks and continued to look for Linka; a flash of blonde hair or *something*.  
  
"Linka?" Wheeler called.   
  
Huge amounts of garbage had been thrown all over the place. Ma-ti looked back in time, to see Looten Plunder and Bleak get into a Jeep and speed off. Again, the Planeteers had lost them. But Ma-ti was more concerned for Linka's safety. If Captain Planet had been pinned by a barrel of toxic waste, where had Linka ended up?  
  
Gi and Kwame exchanged Looks behind Wheeler's back.  
  
"Wheeler, the sensible thing to do would be to help these poor people clean up. Linka will be fine," Kwame said gently.   
  
Wheeler looked at Kwame for a minute and nodded. "Yeah. Clean up."  
  
The four Planeteers moved back to the mines to see what help they could be.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
Ow. That pretty much summed up Linka's state of thoughts right now. Ow. There was extreme pain in her skull. And you know, most of her body.  
  
Yeah, she was going to call the 'Ow' complaint again.   
  
It had been an interesting moment. The blast had thrown her toward the ground, and she'd cut her head on a rock and knocked herself out for a brief moment.   
  
Garbage littered the ground around her. And rocks and such.   
  
Ow.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Clean up. Nikolai was not impressed. He had been enlisted to clean up. He'd never cleaned a day in his life; that's the reason he still lived with his mother. Yet, without any effort, some Asian girl had gotten him to help clean up.  
  
At least, he'd have something to tell Linka when she turned up.   
  
Nikolai had the garbage bag in one hand and rubber gloves on the other, so he didn't actually have to touch the trash. Yuck.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Wheeler stared at the ground, at a crushed soda can. Linka. Where was she? She had to be okay; Linka was so resourceful… Not as resourceful as Gi, but she wouldn't go and get herself killed. Especially by one of Looten Plunder's schemes.  
  
Wheeler's shoulders slumped.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Tatiana had also been forced into helping clean up; since most of the town's population was elderly people, so all the young adults had been made to help clean up.   
  
She flipped her long dark hair gingerly and leant down…in time to see a hint of blonde hair.  
  
Linka, Tatiana knew, but continued picking up garbage. A few more hours, and that wonderful looking American boy would be hers - and then Linka would be found and bandaged up.  
  
She'd be okay for a bit longer, Tatiana decided and turned away to finish clean up.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ma-ti and Gi were sitting with Nadia, who was horrified at Linka's disappearance.   
  
"She is dead, nyet?" Nadia said tearfully. "I knew I should have made her stay with Mishka and I, I should have."  
  
"Linka will be fine," Ma-ti reassured her.   
  
Gi looked at Ma-ti. Captain Planet had been powerless when they found him, and he was a superhero. Linka wouldn't have even had her power.  
  
Mishka caught the glance between the two Planeteers. "Linka, will be okay, nyet?"  
  
"She will be. Why don't you go and look for her; we can stay here with your grandmother," Gi suggested.  
  
"Da, I will." Mishka flashed a look of gratitude to Gi and Ma-ti and strode off.  
  
He wasn't very fair up the hill when he saw his sister. She was pinned to the ground by a beam of splintered wood from the fence next to her; it had obviously been hit by something heavy. Linka's eyes were closed and she was lying very still.  
  
"Linka!" Mishka called out, running to her, and kneeling down next to her. "Linka, can you hear me?"  
  
"Mishka?" Linka opened her eyes. "Da, I can hear you." Mishka pulled the plank of wood off her and Linka sat up, rubbing her head.  
  
"Are you okay? Everyone is very worried," Mishka said, concern lighting his eyes.  
  
"Nyet, Tatiana isn't. She was here but she did not try to help me," Linka said, testing her limbs to make sure nothing was broken.  
  
"She has her, uh, 'eye' on Wheeler. And Nikolai is supportive of her plans, as he 'has his eye' on you," Mishka replied.  
  
"Wheeler is here," Linka smiled. The grin was not lost on her older brother.   
  
"Da, how else would you have called Captain Planet?" Mishka said.  
  
"We can call him from two different countries," Linka retorted. "I am glad they got the message. How are the mines?"  
  
Mishka's face darkened. "Ruined. We will live in poverty before we can rebuild them. It will be a long winter."  
  
"Maybe. Maybe you could sell that huge factory to make some money," Linka said, wiping the snow and dirt from her hair.  
  
"Maybe. Can you walk? Nonna is very worried and so are your Planeteer friends," Mishka stood up, offering Linka his hand to help her stand up.  
  
"Da, I am fine. Though, sleep would be good. And I would like a few words with Tatiana," Linka said, grabbing Mishka's hand and pulling herself to her feet, frowning.  
  
"I pity her then, Linka," Mishka chuckled, vividly remembering her sister's temper. It took quite a lot to make Linka that angry, but when she blew up, it was a spectacular event. Mishka couldn't remember the last time Linka had been really, really angry with anyone.  
  
The rest of the Planeteers were down where the clean up was being organized, and Wheeler was the first one to see Linka and Mishka walk back over the hill.  
  
"Linka!" Wheeler yelled, a grin spreading over his face. He walked over to her, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her. The other Planeteers chose to ignore that particular public display of affection. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Da, I am fine," Linka said, slightly dazed from both the kiss and minor concussion she thought she had. "Tired but fine."  
  
"We are glad you are okay," Kwame smiled.  
  
"Did Looten Plunder get away?" Linka asked, her smile vanishing.  
  
"Yes, he got away. The mines are pretty badly damaged, but not unrepairable," Gi said.  
  
"Good," Linka said, and was quickly hugged by her grandmother.   
  
"Very worried about you, Linka. Off gallivanting and getting kidnapped," Nadia scolded. "Calling your friends from America and Asia and Africa to help you, Linka?"  
  
Linka shrugged. "It is not my fault."  
  
Tatiana came racing over. "Linka, you are okay, I was so worried." Her eyes were wide with false worry.  
  
And Linka blinked at her, before launching into rapid fire Russian, anger reflected all over her face. The four Planeteers stood there, stunned, watching the two girls. Mishka winced, having been the target of Linka's fury many times - and because he could understand what she was saying to Tatiana.   
  
Oh, and he was adding in footnotes - like how Kwame mentioned to him that Tatiana had said Linka wasn't missing and how Tatiana tried to hook up with Wheeler…  
  
And once Linka was finished telling Tatiana off; she kissed Wheeler on the cheek and headed for the Geo-Cruiser.  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
AN: Ok, the epilogue with be posted tomorrow! Please review! I'm aiming for 15 reviews ;) 


	6. Epilogue

AN: The end of my first Planeteer fic. Never fear, though, I'm so addicted to CP at the moment, there will be a lot of fic to come! Thank you so much to everyone who has reviews! I expected to get 5 reivews for a CP fic, and I've so far got 15!  
  
Epilogue  
  
As a group, the Planeteers decided to go back to Hope Island, and keep on the look out; if Plunder's plan had failed this time, it wouldn't be long until one of the other Eco-Villains made a reappearance with some other evil scheme.   
  
The Planeteers all climbed into the Geo-Cruiser. Linka turned back to her family and so-called friends. The rest of the Planeteers climbed into the Geo-Cruiser and waited for Linka to say good bye.  
  
"See you soon, Nonna," Linka said, flinging her arms around her grandmother. "I will try and write more often."  
  
"Yes, Linka," Nadia said and pulled away, looking at her granddaughter's face. "Keep out of trouble, da? And come and visit more often. You bring your friends, too. Good-bye."  
  
Linka turned to her brother and Mishka flung his arms around Linka. "I will miss you Little Sister; you should come home for a proper holiday next time, nyet? Do not have too much fun."  
  
"Da, I will," Linka laughed. "You will help out with the mines, nyet?"  
  
"Da, I will," Mishka said. "And, Wheeler is pretty 'cool', Linka. All your friends are - especially Gi."  
  
Linka managed to cover up her smirk at Mishka's obvious admiration of Gi and turned to Nikolai and Tatiana.  
  
"We are sorry, Linka. We did not understand how serious the 'situation' was," Nikolai said stiffly. "Friends?"  
  
Linka frowned for a moment. "Da, friends."  
  
"I am sorry, Linka," Tatiana said softly. "Leaving school was a mistake, but I was lonely without you and I needed to feel like I could get out of this town. You were so lucky; getting to see the world. I wanted that. I did not know you and Wheeler were that close… friends?" Tatiana's dark brown eyes were wide, full of remorse.  
  
"Da, Tatiana. I will miss you both," Linka said, hugging both Nikolai and Tatiana and kissing Nikolai on the cheek.  
  
From the Geo-Cruiser, Wheeler saw the kiss and jumped from his seat. "Hey, what is she doing?"  
  
Kwame, Ma-ti and Gi ignored him.  
  
Linka climbed into the Geo-Cruiser and fastened her seatbelt. With Gi as Pilot and Kwame as Co-Pilot, the Geo-Cruiser took off.  
  
"Well, so much for a holiday," Wheeler said, giving Linka a smile, which caused her to blush a little bit.   
  
"At least we can have a break on Hope Island," Ma-ti said.   
  
"Yes, that will be good. Maybe we could stop in Beijing - there is a festival on there soon," Gi said.  
  
"And the Mardi Gras in New Orleans," Kwame pointed out. "It is meant to be very good."  
  
"What about Las Vegas?" Wheeler suggested.  
  
"Or maybe Hollywood, Gi?" Linka said in a teasing voice. "We could go shopping."  
  
"Or Bali at this time of year is nice," Ma-ti suggested, stalling any arguments about Linka's suggestion.  
  
"Planeteers, we have an Eco-Emergency!" Gaia's image floated over the Geo-Cruiser. "There has been an oil spill on Papua New Guinea's coastline!"  
  
As Kwame, Gi and Ma-ti questioned Gaia about their latest mission, Linka pulled her Planeteer Communicator out of her pocket. If they had another mission so soon, it would be awhile before she had a private moment with Wheeler. So, text messaging.  
  
/Thank you for helping me. Love Linka./  
  
Sending it, Linka really couldn't think of anything to say to him.  
  
But when they did arrive in Papua New Guinea, Wheeler pulled her aside and kissed her again. And that worked.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
AN: So alls well that ends well! Help me achieve my goal of 20 reviews! :D 


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